Interdisciplinary Trends in the Studies of Diadema setosum: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Period 1980-2025

This study presents the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research conducted between 1980 and 2025 on the invasive long-spined sea urchin Diadema setosum. Using VOSviewer, 213 publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (TS= “Diadema setosum”) were analyzed to assess publication trends, disciplinary scope, collaboration networks, citation impact, co-citation patterns and thematic clusters. The results reveal that the species is rapidly spreading in the Mediterranean and that there has been a sharp increase in publications since 2014, coinciding with a decline in 2022-2023 that corresponds to reported mass mortality events. The co-citation analysis consists of three intellectual clusters encompassing research on (i) marine ecology and echinoid phylogeography, (ii) invasion biology and Mediterranean monitoring, and (iii) disease ecology and mortality events. While marine and freshwater biology dominate the disciplinary profile, emerging environmental themes include ecotoxicology, microplastic exposure, pathogenic interactions, and biomaterial applications (e.g., chitin, chitosan, collagen), with low Total Link Strength (TLS) indicating limited integration. Japan, the USA and China are identified as the leading countries in research. Türkiye is placed within the top 10 in publication numbers but its citation visibility is reported as low because international collaboration is limited. An overall increase in publications has been observed after 2010 and studies related to the expansion of the species into the Mediterranean have contributed to this trend. Our findings indicate that research on D. setosum has traditionally been based on classical marine ecology and invasion frameworks, but is increasingly expanding into molecular ecology, disease dynamics and biotechnological applications. Supporting the sustainable use of the D. setosum species requires strengthening interdisciplinary approaches, encouraging multi-center collaborations, integrating open genomic and ecological data, understanding invasive dynamics, and assessing ecological risks.